A screaming comes across the minor leagues. It has happened before, but there is nothing to compare it to now.
Buster Posey, Buster Posey, Buster Posey. Buster Posey? Posey, Buster. I could keep this up for another four paragraphs and get more "recs" on this post than I have ever had in the past. Everyone’s agog over Buster Posey, praise be unto he. When will Posey be in the majors? When will he single-handedly save this offense? When will he clear up this rash? When? Now? Soon?
Here’s a handy guide to Buster Posey and the Giants:
Why the Giants Shouldn’t Call Up Buster Posey Right Now
The Giants would completely mismanage the whole situation.
There. I’ll give you some time to reread it, if needed. Right now the Giants have a catcher. It’s Bengie Molina, and while he’s slumping, he’s had a solid overall season. It’s a little odd that he traded most of his slugging for on-base skills, and I’m not expecting a .355 on-base percentage going forward, but he’s had a solid year overall. It would be hard to justify a demotion, at least to the other players in the clubhouse. Add in how comfortable the pitching is throwing to him, and Buster Posey will not start at catcher more than one game per week if he’s up, if that.
What about Posey at first? Well, it would be silly if the only reason the Giants re-signed Molina because Posey needed more experience behind the plate, yet brought Posey up two months later in an effort to make sure he gets as little experience behind the plate as possible. But, okay, let’s say the temporary need for offense is more important than the immediate development of Posey’s catching skills. Posey, unproven commodity that he is, can’t start over Aubrey Huff. Fine, so you move Huff to left and sit John Bowker and Nate Schierholtz. But wait, now you’re sitting one of Juan Uribe, Freddy Sanchez, or Edgar Renteria. Can you imagine trying to build a productive offense without all three of those guys? Well, sure, you can, but I’m trying to write this from Bruce Bochy’s perspective.
If Renteria’s hamstring is going to keep him out of the lineup, that last point wouldn’t be much of a concern. But what if Mark DeRosa comes back? Well, DeRosa has to play through his injury to strengthen it. If Huff is in the outfield, well, there’s no place for DeRosa. Now, if DeRosa and Renteria are on the roster at the same time? Well, that just opens up a whole different can of worms. The point is that Posey wouldn’t start more than a game or two per week.
Now imagine if Posey starts off 0-for-11, which great players just don’t do. Maybe Posey hits .150/.250/.250 over his first 50 at-bats. Not only would that put him at the back end of the bench for the foreseeable future, but it would jeopardize his chances to win the 2011 job, too. It would prove his inability to hit major league pitching. I mean, 50 at-bats? That’s a perfectly fine sample with which to work if you’re the Giants.
The only way Buster Posey should be on the Giants roster is if a) Bengie Molina is not on the roster at the same time, and b) the Giants have absolutely no fallback option at catcher, so they can't bench Posey in case of an early slump. Hopefully, this will apply for 2011. If Posey comes up any sooner, Bruce Bochy’s distrust of young catchers will combine with his distrust of young hitters, which will all combine with his trust of small sample sizes, and this will all join together and form a Predaking of bad decisions that will consume Buster Posey and everything he believes in.
Just leave him alone right now – not because he wouldn’t be one of the best hitters on the team, but because the Giants would have no idea what to do with him. He needs at-bats, and he needs innings behind the plate. He won’t get those on the major league roster.